U.S. patent application number 13/189635 was filed with the patent office on 2013-01-31 for operating device for rotating a winding roller of a window blind.
The applicant listed for this patent is Shih-Ming LIN. Invention is credited to Shih-Ming LIN.
Application Number | 20130025805 13/189635 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47596258 |
Filed Date | 2013-01-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130025805 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIN; Shih-Ming |
January 31, 2013 |
OPERATING DEVICE FOR ROTATING A WINDING ROLLER OF A WINDOW
BLIND
Abstract
An operating device for rotating a winding roller of a window
blind, includes an upright rotating shaft rotatable to cause
rotation of the winding roller and having a thread segment, a
sleeve shell movably surrounding the thread segment, a carrier
disposed within the sleeve shell to be movable axially between
pressed and non-pressed positions to hold a force transmitting
member that is engaged with the thread segment, and a rotation
preventing unit disposed between the sleeve shell and the carrier
so as to transmit an axially manual force applied to the sleeve
shell to move the carrier axially so as to rotate the rotating
shaft through engagement of the force transmitting member with the
thread segment in the pressed position, thereby winding up a window
covering.
Inventors: |
LIN; Shih-Ming; (Chiayi
Hsien, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LIN; Shih-Ming |
Chiayi Hsien |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
47596258 |
Appl. No.: |
13/189635 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
160/309 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 9/42 20130101; E06B
2009/3222 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
160/309 |
International
Class: |
E06B 9/56 20060101
E06B009/56 |
Claims
1. An operating device for rotating a winding roller of a window
blind, the winding roller being rotatable relative to a headrail
about a horizontal axis for winding up or winding down a window
covering, said operating device comprising: a rotating shaft having
a shaft end which is adapted to be coupled with the winding roller
such that a rotation of said rotating shaft about an upright axis
transverse to the horizontal axis results in horizontal rotation of
the winding roller, and a shaft body which extends from said shaft
end along the upright axis and which has a thread segment formed on
an outer shaft surface thereof; a sleeve shell which is disposed to
surround and permit said shaft body to be rotatable relative
thereto so as to cooperatively define an accommodation space, and
which has a surrounding wall that extends in a direction of upright
axis to terminate at first and second peripheral ends, and that
includes first and second surrounding segments respectively
proximate to said first and second peripheral ends; a carrier which
has an annular seat wall that surrounds said thread segment, and an
actuated annular wall that surrounds said annular seat wall and
that extends in the direction of upright axis to terminate at first
and second actuated ends, said carrier being disposed in said
accommodation space and movable along the upright axis between a
pressed position, where said first peripheral end is in pressing
engagement with said first actuated end, and a non-pressed
position, where said second actuated end rests on said second
peripheral end; a force transmitting member which is carried on
said annular seat wall and which is engaged with said thread
segment; and a rotation preventing unit disposed between said first
surrounding segment and said actuated annular wall such that, when
said carrier is in the pressed position, an axially manual force
applied to said surrounding wall is transmitted to move said
actuated annular wall along the upright axis so as to rotate said
rotating shaft about the upright axis through engagement of said
force transmitting member with said thread segment, thereby winding
up the window covering.
2. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein said force
transmitting member is rotatably carried on said annular seat wall
to be in rollable contact with said thread segment.
3. The operating device according to claim 2, wherein said carrier
includes a bearing seat member which has said annular seat wail
that has a bearing surface facing upward to permit said force
transmitting member to be rotatably engaged thereon, and an
actuated cap member which has said actuated annular wall and an
inner flange that extends inwardly and radially from said first
actuated end, that confronts said bearing surface to hold said
force transmitting member, and that abuts against said first
peripheral end to transmit the axially manual force to said force
transmitting member.
4. The operating device according to claim 3, wherein said rotation
preventing unit includes a plurality of blocking bars projecting
radially and inwardly from said first surrounding segment, and a
plurality of blocked protrusions configured to be engageable and
blocked by said blocking bars, respectively, in a circumferential
direction about the upright axis so as to prevent rotation of said
carrier relative to said sleeve shell when the manually axial force
is applied to said surrounding wall, thereby making a spiral
rotation of said thread segment about the upright axis.
5. The operating device according to claim 3, wherein said actuated
annular wall of said actuated cap member is engaged with said
annular seat wall of said bearing seat member by a spline
structure.
6. The operating device according to claim 3, wherein said sleeve
shell includes first and second shell halves which respectively
have said first and second surrounding segments and which are
engaged with each other by a spline structure.
7. The operating device according to claim 6, wherein said first
and second shell halves respectively define first and second
penetrating holes formed at said first and second peripheral ends
for passage of said shaft body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a window blind, more particularly
to an operating device for rotating a winding roller of a window
blind to wind up a window covering.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A conventional window blind generally includes a winding
roller, a window covering extending downwardly from the roller, and
a ring chain (or cord) disposed on an end portion of the roller and
extending downwardly. A user can pull the ring chain to rotate the
winding roller such that the window covering can be raised or
lowered. However, such ring chain poses choking or strangulation
hazards to young children. Another window blind such as those
disclosed in EP Application No. 10157918.3 and U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/696,173, is provided with an operating rod
to replace the ring chain. The operating rod extends vertically and
has an upper end coupled with a winding roller by a rotation
transmitting mechanism such that vertical rotation of the operating
rod results in horizontal rotation of the winding roller, and a
lower end coupled with a hinged handle which can be manipulated to
rotate the operating rod. Since the hinged handle is disposed
remote from the winding roller, it is hard for a force applied to
the hinged handle to be transmitted to the rotation transmitting
mechanism, thereby rendering operation of the operating rod
laborious and inefficient.
[0005] In a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/036,066,
entitled "Operating Device for Rotating a Winding Roller of a
Window Blind," filed by the applicant, there is disclosed an
upright rotating shaft which is operated to rotate by means of
engagement between a sleeve shell and one of upper and lower
coupling members.
[0006] It is desirable to improve the aforesaid operating device to
simplify the structure thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an
operating device which is operable easily and smoothly and which
has a simple construction to facilitate manufacture.
[0008] According to this invention, the operating device includes a
rotating shaft having a shaft end which is adapted to be coupled
with a winding roller such that a rotation of the rotating shaft
about an upright axis results in horizontal rotation of the winding
roller for winding up or winding down a window covering, and a
shaft body which extends from the shaft end along the upright axis
and which has a thread segment formed on an outer shaft surface
thereof. A sleeve shell is disposed to surround and permit the
shaft body to be rotatable relative thereto so as to cooperatively
define an accommodation space. The sleeve shell has a surrounding
wall that extends in a direction of upright axis to terminate at
first and second peripheral ends, and that includes first and
second surrounding segments respectively proximate to the first and
second peripheral ends. A carrier has an annular seat wall that
surrounds the thread segment, and an actuated annular wall that
surrounds the annular seat wall and that extends in the direction
of upright axis to terminate at first and second actuated ends. The
carrier is disposed in the accommodation space and is movable along
the upright axis between a pressed position, where the first
peripheral end is in pressing engagement with the first actuated
end, and a non-pressed position, where the second actuated end
rests on the second peripheral end. A force transmitting member is
carried on the annular seat wall and is engaged with the thread
segment. A rotation preventing unit is disposed between the first
surrounding segment and the actuated annular wall such that, when
the carrier is in the pressed position, an axially manual force
applied to the surrounding wall is transmitted to move the actuated
annular wall along the upright axis so as rotate the rotating shaft
about the upright axis through engagement of the force transmitting
member with the thread segment, thereby winding up the window
covering.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred
embodiment of an operating device according to this invention
incorporated in a window blind;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the
preferred embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred
embodiment when an actuating unit is in a non-pressed position;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the preferred
embodiment when the actuating unit is in a pressed position;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of
FIG. 4; and
[0015] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of
FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the preferred embodiment of an
operating device 10 according to the present invention is shown to
be mounted on a window blind 1 for rotating a winding roller 14 of
the window blind 1. The window blind 1 includes a horizontal
extending headrail 11, two mounts 12 (only one is shown in FIG. 1)
spacedly disposed on the headrail 11, two rotary sleeves 13 (only
one is shown in FIG. 1) rotatably mounted between the mounts 12,
the winding roller 14 operatively coupled with the rotary sleeves
13 to be rotatable relative to the headrail 11 about a horizontal
axis for winding up or winding down a window covering 15, and a
coupling mechanism 16 operatively coupled with one of the rotary
sleeves 13, and having a connecting end 161. The operating device
10 of this invention is connected to the connecting end 161, and is
shown to comprise a rotating shaft 2, a driving unit 3, an
actuating unit 4, and a rotation preventing unit.
[0017] The rotating shaft 2 has a shaft end 22 which is adapted to
be connected to the connecting end 161 of the coupling mechanism 16
such that a rotation of the rotating shaft 2 about an upright axis
transverse to the horizontal axis results in a horizontal rotation
of the winding roller 14, and a shaft body 24 which extends from
the shaft end 22 along the upright axis and which has a thread
segment 21 formed on an outer shaft surface thereof.
[0018] The driving unit 3 includes first and second shell halves
31, 33 which are engaged with each other by a spline structure,
such as a plurality of axially extending holes and protrusions 315,
335 so as to cooperatively form a sleeve shell. The sleeve shell is
disposed to surround and permit the shaft body 24 to be rotatable
relative thereto so as to cooperatively define an accommodation
space 32. The first and second shell halves 31, 33 respectively
have first and second surrounding segments 312, 332 which
cooperatively form a surrounding wall and which extend in a
direction 20 of the upright axis to terminate at first and second
peripheral ends 311, 331, respectively. The first and second shell
halves 31, 33 respectively define first and second penetrating
holes 314, 334 formed at the first and second peripheral ends 311,
331 for passage of the shaft body 24.
[0019] The actuating unit 4 is movably disposed in the
accommodation space 32, and includes a carrier 41 and a plurality
of force transmitting members 42.
[0020] The carrier 41 includes a bearing seat member 410 and an
actuated cap member 411. The bearing seat member 410 has an annular
seat wall 416 that surrounds the thread segment 21 and that has a
plurality of bearing surfaces 419 angularly displaced from each
other and facing upward to respectively form a plurality of
recesses 418. The actuated cap member 411 has an actuated annular
wall 412 which surrounds the annular seat wall 416 and which
extends in the direction 20 of upright axis to terminate at first
and second actuated ends 4121, 4122, and an inner flange 413 which
extends inwardly and radially from the first actuated end 4121. The
actuated annular wall 412 of the actuated cap member 411 is engaged
with the annular seat wall 416 of the bearing seat member 410 by a
spline structure, such as a plurality of recesses and protrusions
415, 417. The carrier 41 is movable along the upright axis between
a pressed position (FIG. 4), where the first peripheral end 311 is
in pressing engagement with the first actuated end 4121 and the
inner flange 413, and a non-pressed position (FIG. 3) where the
second actuated end 4122 rests on the second peripheral end
331.
[0021] The force transmitting members 42 are in the form of balls
42 which are received in the recesses 418, respectively, to be
rotatably engaged on the bearing surfaces 419, respectively, which
are held by the inner flange 413, and which are in rollable contact
with the thread segment 21.
[0022] Alternatively, the force transmitting members 42 may
integrally formed with the carrier 41.
[0023] The rotation preventing unit includes a plurality of
blocking bars 313 which project radially and inwardly from the
first surrounding segment 312 of the first shell half 31 and which
are angularly displaced from each other, and a plurality of blocked
protrusions 414 which are configured to be engageable and blocked
by the blocking bars 313 in a circumferential direction about the
upright axis when the carrier 41 is in the pressed position, as
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0024] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, when an axially manual force is
applied to the driving unit 3, such as a downwardly pulling force,
the sleeve shell is moved downwardly relative to the actuating unit
3 to the pressed position illustrated in FIG. 4. The downwardly
pulling force is continued to apply to the driving unit 3 such that
the actuating unit 4 is moved downward with the driving unit 3. In
the meantime, by virtue of the rotation preventing unit which can
prevent rotation of the carrier 41 relative to the sleeve shell,
the downwardly pulling farce is transmitted to move the actuating
unit 4 along the upright axis so as to spirally rotate the rotating
shaft 2 in a clockwise direction about the upright axis through the
engagement of the force transmitting members 42 with the thread
segment 21, thereby winding up the window covering 15.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, once the driving unit 3 and
the actuating unit 4 are lowered to reach a relatively lower
position while the winding-up action of the window covering 15 has
yet to be completed, an opposite axially manual force is applied to
the driving unit 3, such as an upwardly lifting force, the sleeve
shell is raised relative to the actuating unit 4 to the non-pressed
position illustrated in FIG. 3. The upwardly lifting force is
continued to apply to the driving unit 3 to move the actuating unit
4 upwardly with the driving unit 3 while leaving the rotating shaft
2 nonrotated because of the rollable contact of the force
transmitting members 42 with the thread segment 21. When the
driving unit 3 and the actuating unit 4 are raised to reach a
relatively higher position, the downwardly pulling force is further
applied to the driving unit 3 so as to move the actuating unit 4 to
the pressed position for further rotating the rotating shaft 2.
[0026] When it is desired to wind down the window covering 15, the
rotating shaft 2 is rotated manually in a counterclockwise
direction about the upright axis. By the weight of the window
covering 15, the user can rotate the rotating shaft 2 in the
counterclockwise direction effortlessly.
[0027] Accordingly, the operating device of the embodiment has a
simple construction, and is operable conveniently and effortlessly,
particularly being used for winding a relatively long window
covering.
[0028] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *